Holy holidays

Bob and Penny Lord of Morrilton have 25 years of experience leading religious pilgrimages throughout Europe

Published: April 19, 2008

By Tara LittleAssociate Editor

Tara Little

Bob and Penny Lord lead a tour through their own Holy House of Loreto at Holy Family Mission in Morrilton. It is a replica of the original in Italy.

MORRILTON -- In 1976 Penny Lord agreed to go on a pilgrimage with her husband, Bob, but was not excited about it because she had never related to Mary and didn't think the experience would mean that much to her.

The first place they visited was the site where Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France, 150 years ago. It was there that something powerful began to awaken in the couple.

"We fell in love with the saints and the places of Our Lady," Bob Lord said.

Building on their first trip, they returned again and again, experiencing new shrines each time. Before long, they were spending at least a month a year visiting holy sites in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Belgium.

By 1983 they felt God was calling them to share what they had learned with others, so they began directing pilgrims full-time on spiritual journeys to Italy, Spain, France, Portugal and the Holy Land. Eventually they also offered pilgrimages to holy sites in Belgium, Greece, Germany, Poland, Medjugorje (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and Mexico. They stopped visiting the Holy Land in 1988 for safety reasons.

Today, through their Journeys of Faith Ministries, the Lords have become internationally known authors, speakers and hosts for Eternal Word Television Network.

In 2000 they moved from southern California to Morrilton, where they established Holy Family Mission, a place to host retreats, conferences and continue to write books and produce educational videos for EWTN on Mary, the saints, angels, Jesus and miracles of the Eucharist and their shrines. These are based on their pilgrimage trips, which they continue to lead each year.

Penny, 79, said even after all these years, she and Bob, 72, continue to learn each time they go on pilgrimage.

"Our Catholic tradition offers such a wealth of role models, that anybody, not only young people, but old people, people our age can relate to," Bob said.

"When you go on a pilgrimage you can't keep it to yourself," Penny said.

"You get so excited about where you've gone and the impact that a given saint or shrine or apparition of Our Lady or miracle of the Eucharist has had on you, you've got to let it out," Bob said. "These are our brothers and sisters in Christ. These are our ancestors."

Not only do pilgrims bond with the saints, they bond with each other.

"We do develop family. These people are our family and we love them," he said.

"We have a lot of pilgrims that go back with us year after year after year. Sometimes we go to different places but very often they want to go back to some of the same places all over again."

The Lords will take as many as 50, but they usually average 30 to 35 pilgrims a trip. They also always take along a priest who celebrates Mass daily and offers confession and spiritual direction. Their pilgrimages are typically 15 to 16 days in length.

In the past the couple tried leading shorter pilgrimages, but they discovered that pilgrims missed out on too much and were rushed, which affected their overall experience.

"It doesn't make sense to go past so many places that you really want the people to see," Bob said.

Also, a longer trip allows pilgrims to spend more time at each shrine. The length of time depends on the place. In Lourdes, for example, they stay a minimum of two days, while they spend two or three days at the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal.

Bob and Penny also prepare their pilgrims by teaching about the shrines and saints they will visit. Between destinations, they play their videos on the shrines while riding on a chartered bus.

"We teach them again when we get to a shrine and we talk about it as we're leaving the shrine so they don't lose what it is that they've experienced," Bob said.

If traveling to European holy sites for the first time, the Lords recommend going on an organized group pilgrimage.

Bob said when they first started visiting the holy sites on their own, they wasted a lot of time getting lost.

It is also important to be able to speak the language and be knowledgeable about local customs, Penny added. They both speak Italian and French.

"When you consider the amount of money it's costing you to be there, it actually makes sense to go where you can get the most value for your dollar," Bob said. "If you're spending most of your time getting lost, you're not really getting to see the places that you wanted to see."

And for Catholics on a religious pilgrimage, it is important to have guides that understand the faith and the significance of the shrines from a Catholic perspective, Penny said.

"With some of these other groups you'll go to a shrine and you really don't learn anything about the saint or the shrine until you've bought a book there when you're leaving, and by that time, you can't go back," Bob said.

When the Lords began directing pilgrimages, they took people to the places they had fallen in love with, and as a result, those shrines have consistently been most popular among their pilgrims as well. These include the Sanctuaries of Our Lady of Lourdes; Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima; Rome and Vatican City; Shrine of the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano, Italy; Shrine of the Infant of Jesus of Prague, Poland; and the Chapel of Our Lady of Loreto (Holy House of Nazareth), Lozzo, Italy.

Bob and Penny love the Loreto shrine so much, they had a replica of the holy house built at Holy Family Mission in Morrilton. It is open to visitors.

As for popular saint shrines top choices include: the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, Italy; Basilica of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, France; Convent of St. Teresa of Ávila, Spain; Tomb of St. John of the Cross, Segovia, Spain; Castle of Loyola, birthplace of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Guipúzcoa, Spain; and the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians, Turin, Italy (Contains tomb of St. John Bosco and St. Dominic Savio, who was a student of St. John Bosco).

The most popular, however are the shrines of St. Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo and Assisi, where the shrines for St. Francis, and nearby St. Clare of Montefalco and others are located.

"As far as saints go, (St. Padre Pio) might be one of the most popular shrines," Bob said. "We've been going since 1976 and it's always been crowded there. Even before he was up for canonization, it was crowded there."

The Lords have a particular fondness for St. Clare of Montefalco.

"People will go to that shrine, that little shrine that nobody knows about, and they just grab on to her," Bob said.

The couple have a wood carved statue of St. Clare at their mission in Morrilton. A woman whose late husband loved the shrine donated it. They went on pilgrimage with the Lords many times. The couple are oblates of the Holy Cross, which is an Augustinian lay organization in Montefalco and St. Clare is their patron.

Luz Elena Sandoval-Lord, Bob and Penny's adopted daughter, serves as office manager for Holy Family Mission. Among other duties, she organizes the pilgrimage trips and often attends with Bob and Penny.

"When you travel with a group or say you're traveling with us, we always encourage our pilgrims to ask all of the questions that they have before leaving," she said.

It is better to ask even if it seems like a dumb or simple question, because "that simple question is going to prevent you from being relaxed and free to enjoy the pilgrimage and to listen to what our Lord and Our Lady have to say to you," she said.

"Each shrine has a special message for each one of us, and it's going to touch you in a different way than it's going to touch me, but it's going to touch you," she said.

Journeys of Faith offers this advice to their pilgrims before they leave on their pilgrimage.

Clothing: Don't bring too much. Since pilgrims go from place to place, a lot of luggage can become a major hassle. Take wash-and-wear clothes, but no shorts. Also, shoulders must be covered inside churches. Plan to dress in layers since most places visited are cool in the morning, warm in the afternoon and cool at night. Bring raincoats with lining and umbrellas. And, above all, dress comfortably, especially your shoes.

Electricity: If planning to use an iron, electric razor, curling iron, hair dryer or coffeemaker, a plug adapter and voltage transformer are necessary.

Currency: Only euros are accepted in Europe. Currency should be exchanged before leaving the United States and can be done at your local bank. At least $100 in euros is recommended. Most vendors will not cash traveler's checks. Banks do offer ATM machines that will work with most ATM cards, for a fee. The same goes for credit cards.

Medicine: Pilgrims are advised to bring medicine for indigestion or diarrhea. If prescription medication, travelers must take two sets on the trip, one to carry and the other to store in a suitcase, in case it gets stolen. Also, each bottle must have prescription information on it to get through customs.

Guard against theft: Money or leg belts are recommended for carrying money. Leave the bulk of your money and passport in your hotel where they are safe. Only take what is needed each day. Keep valuables in the hotel safe.

Bring a journal: Writing down your thoughts and feelings each day is the best way to hold on to your pilgrimage experience. It also helps you discern how God may be speaking to you.

When in Rome: Europeans have many different customs and traditions than Americans, and it is important to conform to their way of doing things.

Not a vacation: A pilgrimage is designed to help pilgrims concentrate on their souls and spirits. Worries and frustrations will come up as a part of travel, but if allowed, they can get in the way of spiritual growth. Group travel requires patience and tolerance of your fellow pilgrims. Get to know them, pray with them and love one another.

Many Faces of Mary Pilgrimage -- This trip, Sept. 1-16, focus on shrines of Mary, saints, visionaries, mystics, stigmatists and miracles of the Eucharist in Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. Cities to be visited include Rome, Lancianto, Loreto, Montefalco, Assisi, Lourdes, Loyola, Avila and Fatima. The deadline to register is June 1.

Shrines of Catholic Italy and Ancient Sicily -- This 15-day pilgrimage will be Oct. 20-Nov. 3 and will include visits to Rome, Assisi, Loreto, San Giovanni Rotondo, Naples, Catania, Palmermo and Pompeii. The deadline to register is July 20.

"It (Sicily) is considered the most beautiful spot in Europe by Europeans," Penny Lord said. "It's just steeping in tradition, Catholic heritage and ancient tradition."

The cost for both pilgrimages is $4,495 a person and includes airfare, hotels, two meals a day, all entrance fees, videos and chartered, air-conditioned bus. People can register after deadlines based on space availability. For more information, call (501) 354-6100 or visit http://www.bobandpennylord.com.